Disconnecting

I've noticed an increase in the frequency of articles in the WSJ or NYT about the consequences of our constantly being on phones, the Internet, etc. Here is the latest one:

http://nyti.ms/u7fIA5

I've always aspired to disconnect - to have quiet moments of reflection and recovery. Moments of uninterrupted purity. For me, this desire involves an appreciation for the outdoors (where appreciating and contemplating simple things is most likely to happen), a belief (from personal experience and from science) that slowing down and disconnecting gives space for creativity and deeper thinking, and the self-knowledge that I simply need time and space (sometimes from people, sometimes from technology) to feel whole.

I was about to write something like "given the nature of my job, it is very difficult to disconnect.". But to be honest, it's probably more of a discipline problem than an inherent problem with my chosen profession. I COULD not check email for chunks of time during the day (the article mentions Intel had experimented with mandating employees do this), I COULD leave my cell phone at home for periods of time (the fallout of my friends and family not being able to text me and receive and immediate response wouldn't be as disastrous as I fear). And so on.

So, part of disconnecting comes down to discipline and knowing what your values are - do you WANT to disconnect?

I spent the past few days with my family in Mentone, Alabama, which is in the hilly Cumberland Plateau at the corner of Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. I turned off my cell phone for a couple days. To be honest, from the moment that I turned off my cellphone, I felt more at peace. Without the temptation of compulsively checking my email, I dove into reading the Steve Jobs biography (ironically, it was an iPhone that I shut down). Three days later I emerged having made a significant dent in the book, but more importantly having been able to focus intensely on one thing for a few days. The satisfaction that this focus and calm gave me was immense, and it felt... just right.

side note: Steve Jobs himself is a bit of a paradoxical figure because of his fanaticism for Zen, simplicity, and self-awareness contrasts with his role as a consumer products guru. Some people might be able to reconcile these two belief systems, but I think they clash. However, given the world we live in, Apple products are a hell of a lot more helpful than many other tech solutions when it comes to helping us simplify (but not disconnect). But I digress...

Anyway, post business school, I've had the chance to take more time for disconnecting, and am excited to continue down the path if finding the right balance.

My grandfather had a sign right above his desk at home that simply said "Slow Down." (not too hard to do in rural Tennessee where he lived). I like this reminder. Simplicity, disconnecting, quiet, slow, space. All of these ideas are a bit different, but are related in the sense that they offer a respite that I (and I suspect many others) need today in order to be at peace.